Poultry watering systems include a series of connected water dispensing lines, a plurality of interconnected valves connected to one or more low pressure water supply lines, fed by one or more potable water sources. The potable water supply is typically provided to a poultry house or broiler house (“facility”) at a pressure much greater than the intended or necessary operating pressure of the watering valves and at a much greater pressure and flow than is desired at each drinker nipple accessible to the poultry. This demands that a water flow and pressure regulator be provided as part of the watering system to ensure that the watering valves are supplied with water at a pressure and flow rate within the operating parameters of the valves and at a desired pressure and flow rate at the drinker nipples used by the flock to obtain water. Furthermore, it is often required that the operating pressure and flow rate for the watering valves be varied throughout the growth period of the poultry flock to allow for the greatest efficiency of use of water by the flock. In other words, the flock needs increasingly more water as the chicks continue to grow, but it is undesirable to provide too much water to the chicks at any point during their growth cycle because it not only wastes water but can cause excess water to be released during drinking, which, in turn, causes excess water to spill to the floor which combines with spilled food and poultry droppings to create a mess on the floor of the poultry house.
Conventionally, controlling the flow of water and water pressure to a poultry watering system is handled manually by an operator in the facility. However, manual operation and adjustment of the water flow and pressure regulators used to control the water supply to the poultry drinker lines is not efficient and can lead to over or under watering of the flock at any given time. Hydraulic air pressure control systems have been developed, but these systems tend to be expensive and difficult to install. For these and many other reasons, there is a need in the industry to be able to vary the operating flow and pressure of the water supply provided to the poultry watering valves remotely, efficiently, and inexpensively. It is also desirable to be able to retrofit existing watering systems with minimal effort and at low cost.
It would be advantageous to be able to control the water flow and pressure supplied to poultry drinker systems automatically through use of an electrically-controlled variable position water control valve or by electrically-controlling diaphragm pressure within a regulator valve without the need for installing air pressure hydraulic lines or components and to eliminate the need for a facility operator to have to manually adjust the water flow and pressure at each regulator in the facility. Preferably, it would be desirable for such water flow and pressure adjusting systems to be controlled either (i) with feedback from an electrical water flow and pressure feedback device—in the form of a closed-loop system, or (ii) without a feedback device—in the form of an open-loop system. Preferably, either of these control configurations would be commanded through the use of one or more manual user interfaces and/or through an electronic interface designed to adapt to standard voltage or current analog control loops.
It would also be advantageous to have an electronic assembly that is designed to be interconnected with other assemblies within a specified range, such as within a 500 meter range, to simplify the control and power installation requirements. It would also be advantageous to have an electronic assembly that can provide a unified control of a plurality of (up to 100 or more) devices. Preferably, it would also be desirable if installation of any necessary electrical wiring can be handled by any conventional electrician using readily-available pre-wired cabling, as long as such cabling is designed specifically to withstand the harsh environment of a broiler house.
There is a further need for a controllable water flow and pressure regulator capable of measuring actual water flow or pressure against a desired water flow or pressure set point and making adjustments as needed and on an on-going or regular basis. Preferably, both the actual water flow or pressure and the desired set point would be continuously-monitored. There is yet a further need for a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm configured to adjust the controllable valve to meter the flow of water in the drinker line/system. There is also a need for an embedded microprocessor/controller to adjust the position of the control valve proportionally to maintain the actual water flow or pressure in the line as closely as possible to the desired set point in response to changes to either the flow or pressure set point or actual flow or pressure measurements.
Although a “facility” has been described above and will generally be used interchangeably herein to refer to a poultry house or broiler house, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that any facility that waters animals being grown or raised, particularly for consumption, and that requires water flow or pressure regulators to control or limit the water supplied directly to the animals as compared to the water flow or pressure coming into the facility can make effective use of the systems, techniques, technologies, devices, and processes described herein. Such facilities include, but are not limited to, poultry breeder houses, turkey broiler or breeding houses, and poultry pullet or egg laying houses.
The present invention meets one or more of the above-referenced needs as described herein below in greater detail.